Thunder announce 2018 staff with Jay Bell as new manager

Trenton announced Thursday that Jay Bell, who managed Advanced-A Tampa last season, as the successor to Bobby Mitchell for the 25th season in team history.

Bell was a two-time NL All-Star and played shortstop and second base with the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets from 1986-2003. He scored the winning run of the 2001 World Series with the Diamondbacks against the Yankees.

Bell has since coached at various stops in the Diamondbacks, Pirates and Cincinnati Reds organizations, as well as the USA’s National Team and The World Baseball Classic. Prior to joining the Yankees in 2017, Bell was the Reds’ bench coach from 2014-15.

Norton, who was a seventh-round draft pick of the Yankees in 2006 and pitched for the Thunder during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, is the third former player to return a coach. He was Tampa’s pitching coach for the past two seasons.

Hawkins, who enters his 20th season as a coach in the organization, was a coach with the Thunder in 2005 and most recently spent 2017 with the Gulf Coast League Yankees West.

Dorante was the manager of the Pulaski Yankees of the Advanced Rookie League last season and served as manager of Low-A Charleston from 2014-16.

Dominguez, now in his 12th year in the organization, served under Bell in the same capacity last season in Tampa.

Downam and Velazquez are both back for their second seasons with the Thunder.

The Thunder are coming off a record-tying 92-win season and appearance in the Eastern League Championship Series.

Trenton went 179-103 in two years under Mitchell, who earned a promotion to manager of Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season.